E-Paper
Sign in
Bumrah ready to return, ODI World Cup his big focus
Set to return to action in a T20I against Ireland on Friday, India fast bowler says he treated the rehab since his March surgery as off-season
Taking ginger steps towards a highly anticipated comeback in Ireland after a 11-month back-injury induced layoff, Jasprit Bumrah said on Thursday that instead of burdening himself with expectations, he utilised the rehabilitation to find and implement solutions to his problems and prepare with focus on the ODI World Cup by bowling long spells at the nets. He also got to spend time with his family in probably his first “break in 10-11 years”.
In his first international match since September 25 last year, Bumrah will lead India in a T20 series against Ireland in Dublin starting on Friday. India’s bowling resources have taken quite a hit in recent months but nothing has hurt them more than Bumrah’s prolonged absence.
Also Read | 'It's their problem, not mine..': Bumrah's toe-crusher to 'expectation of Rohit, Dravid' query before India vs Ireland
He was possibly rushed into returning last year but nothing has been left to chance this time in ensuring Bumrah went through the entire checklist before being cleared. He now seems fit, and going by the training videos, ready to go full tilt on Friday.
“It’s not like I'm holding back. I'm enjoying it,” Bumrah said in a media interaction in Dublin on Thursday. “I have done a lot of net sessions. When my rehab finished and I went home, practised with Gujarat (his state team) as well. I have had a lot of sessions and practice matches. It's not like there are any restrictions or I'm holding back. Obviously, when you come with the Indian team — and the weather here is great — you enjoy bowling that much more. The body feels good and I’m looking forward to the games coming up.”
Recurrence of Bumrah’s back injury will remain one of the what-if moments for India, especially in the light of the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to England last year when India couldn’t take one wicket. That loss heightened the need to get Bumrah fit for the ODI World Cup at home, but it was a long journey on the personal front.
“It’s frustrating sometimes, waiting to recover from an injury. But I never thought that my time was over, or there are dark days ahead and I won’t be able to stage a comeback. I was seeking solutions. Once I found them, I was feeling good about working my way up and that was my only focus,” he said.
Asked if he was aware of the expectations leading up to a World Cup, Bumrah said as much as he respected different opinions, he doesn’t take them seriously. “Sometimes things are not in your hands. You have to respect the time your body needs to recover. You feel that hunger while going through that (phase). As my physical restrictions ended, I wanted to work on my bowling, on my body strength levels. Along the way, I was also following my team.”
Bumrah pointed out how this rehab taught him to “enjoy the game a lot more” and how it turned out to be a welcome break from playing cricket year-round for over a decade. “We usually don’t get a lot of time off. Probably after 10-11 years this was the first time I was at home in summer, and I spoke to my mother about it,” he said. “I looked at it like an off-season, spending time with my family because I didn’t get all of that. Obviously, it’s a bit disappointing you are away from the game. But that’s something you can’t control, so you can’t be frustrated about it.”
Bumrah is returning to action in the shortest format, but he never took his eyes off the real deal— the ODI World Cup at home in October-November.
“We were mindful of the fact that there is no Test cricket till the ODI World Cup. In my rehab as well, I was not preparing for a T20 game. I was always preparing for the World Cup,” he said. “I have been bowling 10, 12 and even 15 overs. So, I have bowled more overs, that way it becomes easier when less bowling is required. We kept in mind that we are preparing for one-day competition and not a four-over competition. I have lots of overs under my belt. You have to keep working your way up. From where you left, you are a little down and you keep working your way up.”
